Middle Class as History Lesson

July 10, 2013 — Bill Moyers, democracy, middle class, Plutocracy

The vanishing middle class in America is the subject of much discussion. In fact, tonight some of the internet’s finest minds will tweet brilliant ideas in a twitter chat on this subject.  How the advent of technology has reduced the need for big workforces that manufacturing employed in the past is part of our political history and our new economy. Pros and cons can be weighed, but there is nobody who believes our economic policies have not grown a very wealthy upper class with extrme privilege  at the expense of the rest of the population.  Our great divide grows larger each minute providing tax breaks, and a dream environment for big business while poverty grips our children and our elderly.  The new fat cat is fat indeed.  A generation of wealth has been wiped out and shifted to the wealthiest and most powerful of our citizens.

I had the pleasure of meeting Bill Moyers several times when I worked at fancy spas.  He was a spa bunny.   He is more charming in person than I ever imagined, quickly running to the top of my favorite celebrity list.  I learned one time talking with him down in Mexico that his mother was from Texas, like mine.  They both had the same first name, Ruby.  His mom, however, was named Ruby Jewel.  Wow.  Last night on Charlie Rose his interview reminded me of all the reasons I love him, but it also taught me that we were both in Austin when he was working for LBJ and I was protesting LBJ.  It’s like we’re connected.